6 fantastic travel applications you can't leave home without
From navigation to currency, download these apps before your next trip!
1. Maps.me
This app has saved my lil butt more times than I am willing to admit. It allows you to download maps for countries (or sections of countries) while connected to wifi so that you can later access it while offline.
Before I left for a new town, city or country, I would make sure to download the map on this app so that when I arrived in the new land, I would be able to find my hostel. Trust me when I say that when you’re dropped off in no-mans-land after an overnight bus, having a map and directions to your hostel is invaluable. You can save locations and even sometimes see ratings and/or hours for restaurants and other establishments.
2. Polarsteps
This app will not only allow you to track your travels but gives you the ability to share your steps with friends, family, and/or the vast internet! After a being on the road for a while, your route can get a little fuzzy. I use this app just to help me to remember where I went and in what order. You can add pictures, stories and more to each “step”. It's a great way to keep it all organized when hostels and cities inevitably begin to blur together. It even calculates the number of countries, steps, and KMs traveled! You can also create different "trips" so I have one from my time in Asia/Australia and one for my current backpacking trip through South America. See my polarsteps profile here: https://www.polarsteps.com/AllieBrown
3. Exchange app
Trust me, even if you’re great at math, this app is useful. For example, the conversion rate for one US dollar is 23,255 Vietnam Dong. Believe me when I say that gets confusing when you’re frantically trying to buy your items at a market. Use the exchange app to help sort out how many 0’s you owe.
There are many options for exchange apps but I used this one: Currency (blue xe icon). I liked it because you can add up 10 currencies and look at exchange rates between them (beyond helpful for when crossing country borders and exchanging currencies).
4. Hostelworld/Booking.com
As for researching and booking accommodations, I use Hostelworld and Booking.
These are both pretty straight forward. Hostelworld is the biggest online resource for finding the right hostel for you. You can book your hostel through Hostelworld and you can even add $1 to your booking in order to ensure you are able to change around your reservation in case you decide to change your dates at all (which I CONSTANTLY do).
Booking is another great resource for finding accommodation and I've found that sometimes they have specials running that make it cheaper than on Hostelworld. There are also other benefits such as "genius" that allows you 10% some bookings and perks like free breakfast in some hostels/hotels.
Use the link below to receive 10% off your next booking! https://www.booking.com/s/57_6/downto31
5. Been
This app creates a visual for where you have been in the world. It calculates how many countries you have been to and what that equates to as far as percentage of the world seen. It's always fun to log on to the app and click another country when you cross a border! See my map below.
6. Skyscanner
Skyscanner is a backpacker favorite. It searches for the best deals amongst thousands of airlines and providers. I have scored some serious flight deals through this app/website. Just be sure to keep an eye on some of the providers as some of the resellers can be dodgy.
See my Travel Apps here!
See that I'm missing out on any crucial apps?! Leave a comment or contact me and tell me your favorite travel applications!
Pin it for later!
